Optical Illusion: How bad was the LA Rams offense?

Effective versus productive

Perhaps one of the telltale indications about the LA Rams offense was this little gem shared by Rams reporter J.B. Long.  In it, he cites the LA Rams DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) for both the 2021 and 2020 offensive and defensive units.  To get further information about DVOA, check out this article by Football Outsiders.

In the comparisons, DVOA weighs the situation of the play’s results. In essence, a three-yard run on third down and two yards to go is more effective than a four-yard run on third down and 20 yards to go. The first scenario is a more effective running play. The second scenario is a more productive running play.

Rams were a rather effective offense

Here is what J.B. Long reminded everyone:

Even as the Rams rushing offense dropped into the lower half of NFL teams, the DVOA illustrated that the Rams still maintained relative effectiveness on the ground. And so, taking what we saw and now comparing it to what we know, we see that the team’s offense can be balanced once more in 2022.

To the optics test, the Rams seemed to struggle mightily at rushing the football. And the further into the playoffs the team advanced, the more the team struggled to move the ball on the ground. Is that a bad thing? Or was it simply what the Rams needed to do to win Super Bowl LVI?